1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of micro-mechanics. It particularly relates to a method and tool for handling micro-mechanical structures such as thin film micro-devices, and further to micro-mechanical structures made according to this method. This invention more specifically relates to a method for processing magnetic coil assemblies for use in data read-write heads.
2. Description of Related Art
In the field of miniaturization there is a growing interest in manufacturing micro-mechanical structures on the scale of micrometers. Many of these miniature structures are thin film devices made using semiconductor processing techniques. One of the critical steps in the manufacturing of these miniature structures involves the simultaneous handling of numerous miniature structures to enable mass-production.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,012 to Hamilton, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes an integrated head/flexure/conductor structure for the reading and writing information with respect to a relatively moving medium, and a method for manufacturing the same. The proposed structure takes the form of a micro-dimension, elongate, dielectric flexure body. Embedded within such body, a magnetic read/write pole structure and an electrical coil and conductor structure are operatively associated with the pole structure. The flexure body and the embedded constitutes are formed on an atom-by-atom basis utilizing one or more conventional material-deposition processes. The method of the invention is employable, as well, to create read/write structural components which may be less than a fully integrated read/write head/flexure/conductor structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,694 to Baldwin, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for mounting an integrated circuit device onto a printed circuit board (PCB) by inducing a magnetic field of a selected strength at the surface of the PCB to temporarily hold the IC device onto the PCB. The IC device is provided with magnetic material which is attracted by the magnetic field. The magnetic field is maintained while the IC device and PCB are tested, and then subsequently during soldering when the IC device is permanently bonded to the PCB.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,332 to Mehta, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a gaseous process for removing and vaporizing a portion of a silicon oxide film from between a substrate and a superstructure leaving a space between the substrate and the superstructure. The silicon oxide layer is removed in two steps. In the first step the bulk of the silicon oxide layer is removed by a rapid liquid or gaseous etching process, leaving a portion of the silicon oxide layer directly underlying the superstructure in place so as to support the superstructure during a wash cycle. In the second silicon oxide removal step the substrate is introduced to a high flow rate gaseous environment containing a relatively high concentration of anhydrous HF to which no, or only a relatively very low amount of, additional water vapor is provided until the silicon oxide directly underlying the superstructure has been removed.
As micro-mechanical structures are becoming smaller, lighter and more fragile, handling has become a serious problem from the standpoint of post wafer release processing. The size of these structures renders their mass production impractical when each miniature structure is handled individually. For instance, when a thin film device is selected it is broken away from the array of thin film devices using various techniques. However, the separation of the individual miniature structure may impart damage to that structure, or may cause it to be lost. In addition, cleaning, handling and testing the individual miniature device represent a very tedious and difficult task, and a potential source of contamination.
Therefore, there is still a great and unsatisfied need for a method and tool for handling and processing micro-mechanical structures such as thin film devices during the manufacture process.